When George had first carried Ciel in his arms, Ciel had felt so mortified he wished he could knock himself out. It was one thing being carried by George when he was out cold and another when he was still conscious. He couldn’t help but wonder if Liath had been getting back at him, especially when he called him “Princess”. When they had landed in the swamp, it was still fine; after all, he didn’t even get wet. He had clutched George’s neck on instinct because the muddy, uneven soil under the water made George stagger and Ciel didn’t want to fall. When they found themselves sliding down the desert dune, he held on a little tighter, helping George keep his balance on the soft moving sand; Liath had lost his balance and was sliding down the dune like a child. He didn’t want to end up like the elder; it would have been too embarrassing.
The next portal ended with them in a middle of a blizzard; Ciel had burrowed deeper into the other man’s arms, too cold to say anything. The thin linen shirt they both wore was useless against the biting cold but it also allowed Ciel to feel the firm strong muscles against him that felt like a stiff but warm pillow. The heat radiating off George really made Ciel feel comfortable. Afraid that Ciel would freeze in the howling snow and ice, George had circulated some of his energy through Ciel. It was all Ciel could do not to moan. The energy was warm and comforting and felt extremely familiar. It made Ciel feel safe, snuggled against the man. Ciel grit his teeth, fighting the sensation that the energy moving within him brought; it felt… arousing.
George might not understand but Ciel did; circulating ones' energy within another person was an extremely intimate affair that required a lot of trust. If either party had any evil intentions, they could mortally wound the other during this time, since both sides would have to lower their defences for the energy to move from one person to the other. In the eastern cultivation world, only Dao partners, or a cultivation couple who had recognized each other as spouses would do this when there was no emergency. Ciel wondered if he should get Bei to do an eastern cultivation 101 with George… the thought of him moving energy into people other than him was upsetting. They moved slowly in the snow, the freezing wind and icy snow like sharp knives against his skin. Rather than enduring it, Ciel had hidden his face in the crook of the man's neck, savouring his warmth and the woodsy scent that was unique to him.
"Cold?" A sudden voice above his head asked. The vibrations against his cheek both shocking and soothing him.
"Mmmm" He was too embarrassed to answer.
"Then keep your head there. You don't have to worry." I'll keep you safe. That was the unspoken words that hung in the air before they were blown away by the howling winds.
"Mmmm" It was a good thing George had to keep his eyes on Liath, lest he lose him in the blinding snow; or he might have seen Ciel resemble a cooked lobster. That would have embarrassed him further and made him even redder. He loved this man, God he loved this man. Why was he being so nice to him? His thoughts too were tossed into the white swirling snow around them as the steady crunch of ice and snow underfoot accompanied the mournful screams of the angry snowstorm around them. The warmth, the comforting scent, the strong body holding him soon lulled the still weakened Ciel to sleep. He was awoken to the sounds of crashing thunder, drenching rains… and more howling winds; they'd left the ice and snow behind but a rainstorm was only better by a few degrees.
"Why are elder Liath's shortcuts so horrible?" George had muttered the questions Ciel had wanted to ask too. He smiled against his chest, keeping his thoughts to himself. The conscientious George made sure that Ciel was again protected from the elements, using his internal energy to keep the rain from touching him. This meticulous care touched Ciel; no one besides his family had shown him this kind of tender ministration before. It came straight from the heart, with Ciel and only Ciel in mind. If Ciel did not already love him, this unending siege of care and affection would have slowly worn down his defences and cause him to surrender. Ciel again buried his face into George and continued to sleep; like a trusting child, confident that George would keep him safe.
After a day and night's journey, they found themselves at the warm, familiar entrance of the club; they were home. The minute the three of them walked through the north entrance, Gawain, who had been manning that entrance stared, his mouth slightly agape, unable to believe his eyes.
"George! Ciel! You're all right!" He quickly snapped out of his stupor, his words calling the attention of others to his side. The twins had ran headlong towards the entrance, almost crashing into everyone. They too stared or a moment but they then broke into sunny smiles and leapt at Ciel and George; almost knocking them to the ground, to give them an awkward group hug.
"Put me down." the bashful Ciel told George, afraid of what his father might say when he saw him in George's arms. Where I always want to be. He felt the arms that carried him tighten before they gently put him down. Ciel had to turn his face into the crook of the other man's neck to steady himself; and purposely pressed his lips onto the base of his neck. Just this once... he reluctantly released his arms that had stayed circled around George's neck the whole time and gave him a pink faced thank you.
"Any time." Always.
By now Gin and Scarlet had arrived and Ciel was being inspected thoroughly by a worried but thankful, smiling but crying Scarlet. Seeing the situation at the entrance getting out of hand, Gin had moved all the pertinent people to the staff lounge; away from the prying eyes, craning necks and straining ears of the curious patrons. His mother, finding nothing wrong besides a severe lack of strength was now clutching her second born and weeping, happy to see him safe and sound. Ciel returned the hug, patting her back to soothe her.
"I'm all right mother. I'm sorry I worried you."
"It's fine. You're safe. That's all that matters." she had buried her crying face into her son. "What happened?"
"Dear, look at them. Let them rest and freshen up first." His father had come forward and patted his mother on the shoulder. It was then that Scarlet realized how tired, dirty and dishevelled they were.
"Yes, of course. I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare something warm." She was about to rush out before Gin caught her by the arm, stopping her. He then took out a handkerchief and started wiping her tears and cleaning her face, a doting but exasperated look on his face. Once he was satisfied, he released her arm. "Go" he said, stowing away the soiled handkerchief and ignoring the sour looks of the group of people who had been fed a heaped serving of PDA. Liath had an especially bitter face over all the sweetness he had witnessed.
"I thought I told you to keep your displays of affection to a minimum in front of me?" he grumbled in a low voice to the master.
"I'm just petty." This was replied the same low voice before he continued in a normal tone. "But let me escort you to a guestroom. You can freshen up and then join us for some refreshments after that. We also need to know what happened."
Liath nodded and followed Master Gin out; but he paused when he was beside Ciel and whispered "I hope you enjoyed your warm and lovey-dovey journey back. It makes all the suffering I endured worth it. And yes, I'm as petty as your father." before he exited the room.
"What's wrong, Ciel? Are you feeling ill?" the ever innocent Blanc asked. Behind him, his twin was facepalming at her ignorant, blank faced brother. His question only served to make their elder brother redder in the face, especially with George looking at him with concern and curiosity.
"I'm fine." he mumbled. Is there a hole I can jump and bury myself in? "I'm going to take a shower and change. I'll see you later." Ciel rushed out of the lounge but saw Noire hit the back of her bewildered brother's head from the corner of his eye. Normally he would have smirked but currently he was more embarrassed than amused.
Making use of the staff showers, Ciel finally felt revived. The hot water soothed his cold, tired body but he felt a slight regret that he could no longer smell George on him. It wasn't something he would say aloud, of course, not unless he wanted to continue looking like he had a perpetual sunburn. But he couldn't deny that he felt comforted and safe in those arms; as if nothing could hurt him when he was there. The only ones that could make him feel like that was his family but there was no additional sweetness on top of the warmth.
Once done, he stepped out of the shower and frowned when he realized that he didn't have any additional uniforms here; he'd have to make do with the casual shirt and pants he had in the locker. He returned to the staff lounge and found it empty. Wondering where everyone went, he sat on the sofa and closed his eyes, sneaking a little more rest before the others returned. He heard the door open and a trolley being wheeled in followed by the tempting smell of food that made him hungry. He had been out for most of the journey that all he had eaten had been the fruit that George had found and hand fed to him. He was still embarrassed by the domineering way George had insisted on feeding him the fruit slice by slice. He also recalled the way his fingers had softly brushed against his lips and wondered if that had been intentional. He heard a sudden gasp. Opening his eyes, Ciel found himself face to face with the man he had chased down more than a week ago.
A/N: I'm out of town for something and writing by phone is harder than I thought. Sorry it's a little short. May come back to redo it later.
A/N: Updated! the typos and grammatical errors... is there a hole I can jump and bury myself in?
